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Don’t Move 2027 Polls to Nov 2026, NNPP Chieftain Warns NASS

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From Anjorin Adeloye, Ibadan

A South West Chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Amb. Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo has called on the National Assembly not to move the 2027 general elections to 2026, saying do so will hamper adequate preparations for the election by various political parties, the intending candidates and the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It could be recalled that the National Assembly has proposed moving Nigeria’s next presidential and governorship elections to hold in November 2026 instead of the February/March 2027.

The move, contained in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, seeks to ensure that all election petitions are concluded before the May 29, 2027, handover date.

The draft amendment read, “Elections into the office of the President and Governor of a State shall be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.

Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, explained that the move is designed to “ensure that all manner of election litigations are dispensed with before the swearing in of winners”.

However in a press statement on Thursday, Ajadi condemned the proposed shift of the election from 2027 to 2026.

He said the National Assembly should not put pressure on political parties, the intended candidates and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by rushing them into the election.

Ajadi, who was the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) in Ogun State during the 2023 general election reminded the National Assembly that election is a serious matter that requires adequate preparations by the INEC, the political parties and the candidates that will participate in the election.

He said the excuse for the shift of the election backward so that all election petitions should have been concluded before May 29, 2027 handover date does not hold water.

Ajadi said it is the duty of the Judiciary and the petitioners not to delay the petitions, noting that the same reason was advanced leading to shift of the election to between February and March of the election year.

He said the shift in the date of the election to 2026 will further weaken the political institutions and turn the country into early politics and less governance.

According to him, “I urge the National Assembly not to move the 2027 elections to 2026. Election is a serious and important issue for national development. We don’t need to rush the political parties, the intended candidates and the INEC into preparations.

“Election requires proper and adequate planning. This will take time. Political party’s need adequate time and finances to recruit candidates, while candidates in turn need to plan adequately.

“I think we can just appeal to the Judiciary to give priority to election petitions and ensure that they are dispensed off on time. Moving general elections to 2026 will cripple governance almost immediately and this is not good for a country like Nigeria that is trying to fix its economy.

“We cannot be in a perpetual election period, governance is necessary for the country’s development. The National Assembly should be cautious of the severe negative implications of bringing the 2027 election forward to 2026.”

Metro

JAMB Holds Mop-up Examinations June 13

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said it will conduct the 2026 UTME mop-up examination on June 13 for candidates who missed the examination in spite of successful biometric verification.

JAMB disclosed this in a statement issued by its Public Communication Adviser, Dr.

Fabian Benjamin, on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, the mop-up examination is for candidates who presented themselves for the 2026 UTME but could not take the examination due to various challenges.

‎He explained that while the 2026 UTME was conducted between April 16 and April 23, some centres experienced technical difficulties that prevented a number of candidates from sitting the examination.

‎Benjamin added that candidates whose results were withdrawn over examination infractions, as well as those who could not be verified biometrically on the examination day, had also been scheduled for the mop-up exercise.

‎He described the examination as the final phase of the annual UTME exercise and an opportunity to resolve all outstanding issues affecting candidates who were unable to take the examination.

‎He advised affected candidates to print their Examination Notification Slips from June 6 in order to obtain details of their examination centres and schedules.

‎He urged all eligible candidates to familiarise themselves with their examination centres and make adequate arrangements ahead of the examination date.

‎Benjamin, however, stressed that there would be no further opportunity for any candidate to sit for the 2026 UTME after the mop-up examination.

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Metro

Eid-ul-Adha: FG Declares Wednesday, Thursday Public Holidays

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The Federal Government has declared Wednesday and Thursday public holidays to enable Muslims celebrate the Eid-El-Kabir

This was contained in a statement by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Magdalene Ajani, on Monday in Abuja.

According to Ajani, the Minister of Interior, Dr.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the announcement on behalf of the federal government.

Tunji-Ojo said that the holiday affirmed the federal government’s respect for the faith and spiritual heritage of Muslims globally.

He urged all Nigerians to use the festive period to pray for Allah’s divine guidance in Nigeria, adding that the country remained in pursuit of peace, security and prosperity.

“Eid-ul-Adha is a festival of deep spiritual significance, grounded in the values of sacrifice, obedience to God and compassion for one’s fellow man.

“I send warm felicitations of the federal government to all Muslim faithful in Nigeria and in the diaspora,” Tunji-Ojo said.

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Metro

Flood: NEMA Lists 11 Niger LGAs as High-risk Areas

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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has identified 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Niger as high flood-risk zones ahead of the 2026 rainy season.

Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, disclosed this on Thursday in Minna, at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on the 2026 National Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC) on flood disaster and related hazards.

The theme of the meeting was “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance for a Resilient Community in Nigeria”.

Umar, represented by Abdulrazak Adebiye, North Central Zonal Director of NEMA, said the affected local government areas were Agaie, Bida, Borgu, Edati, Gbako, Katcha, Lapai, Lavun, Magama, Mashegu and Mokwa.

She said the prediction was based on the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).

According to her, 23 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), covering 132 local government areas nationwide, fall within high flood-risk zones, while 148 local government areas in 14 states are categorised as moderate-risk areas.

Umar said the recurring impact of flooding in Nigeria required urgent and collective response, noting that flood disasters yearly resulted in loss of lives, destruction of infrastructure and disruption of livelihoods.

She added that communities also suffered injuries, displacement and loss of savings due to unmitigated flood incidents and their secondary impacts.

The NEMA boss explained that the agency convened expert review meetings on March 31 and April 1 to assess the implications of the forecasts and evolving climate conditions across the country.

According to her, the review revealed possible delayed or erratic rainfall onset, shorter growing seasons, above-normal rainfall in some areas, prolonged dry spells and increased temperatures.

She said the projected climate conditions could negatively affect agriculture, healthcare, transportation, energy, water supply, education and public wellbeing if proactive measures were not taken.

Umar further stated that NEMA had developed the 2026 Climate-Related Risk Management, Preparedness and Mitigation Framework to minimise the impact of flooding nationwide.

She listed some mitigation measures to include capacity building for local responders, simulation and tabletop exercises, strict adherence to rainfall and flood advisories, prepositioning of relief materials and development of evacuation plans.

She also disclosed that vulnerability maps had been produced for identified communities, adding that technical teams would be deployed to states for grassroots sensitisation and direct community engagement.

The Head of NEMA Minna Operations Office covering Niger and Kwara states, Hussaini Isah, described disasters as consequences of poor planning, weak institutions and inadequate preparedness.

He said the engagement became necessary in view of the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction by NiMet and the Annual Flood Outlook by NIHSA, adding that the successes recorded in flood management in 2025 were due to strong partnership among stakeholders.

Isah said there was a need for stakeholders to collectively strategise, define their roles and responsibilities and establish clear rules of engagement for effective flood management in 2026.

Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said the state had established an Emergency Operations Centre which was yet to become fully operational due to shortage of personnel.

In goodwill messages, the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk, represented by Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, pledged the support of traditional institutions in promoting early warning systems and public sensitisation,

Also, Alhaji Akilu Musa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, called for stronger synergy among stakeholders in disaster management.

Head, Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, NEMA Minna Operations Office, Dr. Zainab Ndanusa, said Lapai Local Government Area was projected to record the highest rainfall of 1,329mm during the season.

She said Agaie was expected to record 1,321mm, adding that rainfall in the state would likely continue until Oct. 15.

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